Militants bomb Delta Forcados terminal

...Avengers deny killing of soldiers

 More fighter jets sent to crush Niger Delta Avengers

 

Niger Delta militants yesterday made a further inroad to­wards crippling the nation’s oil production by bomb­ing, for the second time, the 48 inch Shell Petroleum Develop­ment Company’s (SPDC) export line at the Forcados Terminal in Delta State.

The incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday in Buru­tu council area of the state.

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) which claimed responsibility for the attack said they had decid­ed to attack the terminal again following the oil company’s in­sistence to go ahead with repair works in the area.

The AUTHORITY on Satur­day gathered that the militants used sophisticated weapons to blow up the line from another section as repairs were nearing completion.

When reached for confirma­tion of the Friday incident at For­cados, media relations manager of SPDC, Precious Okolobo, said he was yet to be briefed on the oc­currence.

But the militants announced the attack in a tweet “At 3am to­day @NDAvengers blew up the SPDC Forcados 48” Export­line. We warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair works but they refused. This is an example to all other multinationals.”

Similarly, the militant group, dissociated itself from Wednes­day night’s killing of seven per­sons, including three soldiers, at a military houseboat post in the Warri South council area.

 NDA said “the Niger Delta Avengers were not involved in the attack of the military house­boat around Warri, Delta State. Killing of sleeping soldiers is not our style. We promise the world that in this process of liberating our people, not a single blood of Nigerian soldiers will be wasted despite the provocation.

“Even the inhumane Nige­rian soldiers are exempted. Our war is on oil installations not to take innocent lives. For the fact that we can’t give life, we also don’t have the power to take any life. But we (Avengers) are as­suring the families of the affect­ed soldiers that we will bring the culprits to book.

“When it’s time to face the military in combat, let the whole world know that we won’t be the ones to throw the first punch.”

It added that, “This mes­sage is going to all groups pa­rading themselves as freedom fighters. You can fight for your people without killing innocent souls. NDA has proved. We were able to drop Nigeria’s oil produc­tion from 2 million barrels to just 800,000 barrels without killing a soul.

“We are warning every group to follow our footsteps. The days of killing and kidnapping are over.”

More fighter jets sent to crush Niger Delta Avengers

Meanwhile, in what looks like resolve to crush the Niger Delta militants and end the spree of bombings of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region, the feder­al government has sent out addi­tional fighter jets into the region.

The Nigerian Air force (NAF) made this known in a statement made available to the media yes­terday in which it stated that the air force has sent out additional fighter jets against the militants.

Part of the statement reads; “The Nigerian Air Force has de­ployed additional aircraft to the Niger Delta in support of the military operations code named “Operation Pulo Shield” against militancy, economic sabotage and all forms of criminalities in the south-south region of the country.

“The deployment was neces­sitated by the recent spate of at­tacks on the nation’s oil and gas installations by the new mili­tant group, Niger Delta Aveng­ers (NDA).

“The additional platforms, comprising fighter aircraft, heli­copter gunship and surveillance aircraft, are intended to enhance the capability of the NAF to un­dertake offensive air operations and intelligence gathering in sup­port of the surfaces forces.

“Since the recent deployment the NAF has increased air oper­ations around critical infrastruc­ture in Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

“These include but not limit­ed to Escravos, Forcados in Delta State; Bonga oil field, Agbami off­shore and Brass in Bayelsa; Bony in Rivers; Qua Iboe Terminal in Akwa Ibom State, and Opueke­ba in Ondo state.

“Meanwhile, the NAF wish­es to urge members of the pub­lic not to panic at the sight of low level flying aircraft but to go about their legitimate businesses. The NAF also enjoins any mem­ber of the public to avail it or oth­er Security Agencies with useful information about the where abouts or activities of the mili­tant group.”

The militant groups have however, threatened to launch six missiles and to bring down any aircraft deployed to the region.